Iga Swiatek is the French Open champion again. What else is new? The young Polish star collected her third Grand Slam title on clay on Saturday after overcoming Karolina Muchova, who pushed Swiatek all the way on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
She may just be 22 years of age but she is already showing the world exactly what she’s about on court and is well on her way to making herself this generation’s biggest star on the WTA Tour. To have won three titles out of five entries at Roland Garros is no easy feat and to already have four major titles to her name already (the 2022 US Open being the other), Swiatek is already demonstrating that she is well on her way to superstardom.
If her 37-match winning streak in 2022 wasn’t enough of a glimpse into her greatness then this latest Grand Slam victory certainly is.
READ MORE:
It was her first major victory that went the distance. Muchova provided the world number one with her first experience of adversity in a Grand Slam final. The Czech star fought hard to battle her way into the match after being a set down. Muchova was in the ascendancy as she took the second set and then a 3-0 lead in the decider. Swiatek was pushed to the limit and showed her composure under pressure to prevail 6-4.
Her 28-2 (93%) record at the French Open is simply incredible. She now has a huge appetite for this Grand Slam having taken the crown in back-to-back years, becoming the first player to defend the title since Justine Henin in 2007.
As Rafael Nadal was the King of Clay, Swiatek is well on her way to becoming the Queen of this particular surface. The record for most women’s singles titles at Roland Garros in the Open Era lies with Steffi Graf, who won it six times in 17 appearances. Swiatek is already halfway to equalling her achievement, having accomplished her three victories in just five attempts. She is on course to not only break Graf’s record but smash it by some distance.
A 22-time Grand Slam champion, Graf is only second to Serena Williams for success in the Open Era and while Swiatek has got a way to go in terms of winning at the other two Slams, she possesses the skills and the desire to match the German icon.
With the winning mentality that Swiatek has she will strive to improve her game. A real marker of progress would be for her to start getting into a rhythm on grass, which is her worst surface statistically to date. Swiatek’s best performance at Wimbledon was reaching the fourth round in 2021. She needs to start gaining confidence on grass because to become the best you have to be equally talented on each surface.
That’s what made the likes of Graf and Williams so special. It didn’t matter where they played, they found a way to win and excel in any environment - something Swiatek will be looking to accomplish herself, even if she is playing it cool and taking it one game at a time. One thing is for sure, her best is yet to come.
